4/20/2019

Extrusion process

Extrusion is a bulk forming process in which the work metal is

forced or compressed to flow through a die hole to produce a
desired cross-sectional shape. The process can be likened to
squeezing toothpaste out of a toothpaste tube.

Pb, Al and Cu extensively extruded.

Generally hydraulically operated.

Generally completed in a horizontal direction.

Capacities of over 200 MN are also used.

Hot metal extrusion involves preheating the billet prior to
extrusion to reduce the work required to extrude the section.
In general, extrusion is used to produce cylindrical bars or hollow
tubes, but shapes of irregular cross section is also possible.

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There are three basic extrusion processes ,

Direct extrusion,

indirect extrusion, and

hydrostatic extrusion.

The most widely used process.

A metal billet is first loaded into a container having die holes.
A ram compresses the material, forcing it to flow through the
die holes.

A dummy block or pressure plate is place at the end of the
ram in contact with the billet.

In direct extrusion, the frictional forces are the highest among
all the extrusion process due to the direct contact of the billet
and container walls.

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Direct Extrusion
In hot direct extrusion, the presence of oxide layer on the surface of the billet
can cause defects in the extruded product.
In order to address these problems, a dummy block is used between the ram
and the work billet. The diameter of the dummy block is kept slightly smaller
than the billet diameter, so that a thin layer of billet containing the oxide layer is
left in the container, leaving the final product free of oxides.

Hollow sections like tubes can be made using direct extrusion process. The
starting billet is prepared with a hole parallel to its axis. As the billet is
compressed, the material will flow through the gap between the mandrel and
the die opening.

Indirect extrusion
 a hollow ram carries the die, while the other end of the container is
closed with a plate.
 Normally the ram containing the die is kept stationary and the
container with the billet is used to move.
 Since there is no relative motion between the wall of the container and
the billet in indirect extrusion the friction forces are lower and the
power required for extrusion is less than for direct extrusion.
 Limitations: lower rigidity of the hollow ram, difficulty in supporting the
extruded product at the exit. Indirect extrusion is more efficient and
produced higher quality products.

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Typical Curves of extrusion pressure vs ram travel for

direct and indirect extrusion.
The rapid rise in pressure during the initial ram travel is due to the initial compression of
the billet to fill the extrusion container.

Hydrostatic extrusion
Process in which the billet is completely circumscribed by a pressurized
liquid in all the sides except the region where billet is in the contact with
die.
This process can be carried out in many ways including warm, cold or
hot but due to the stability of the used fluid, the temperature is limited.
Hydrostatic extrusion has to be carried out in a completely sealed
cylinder for containing the hydrostatic medium.

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Advantages of Hydrostatic Extrusion

No friction among the container and billet. This minimizes the

force requirements, allowing higher reduction ratios, faster
speeds, & lower billet temperatures.

Friction of the die can be largely reduced by a film of pressurized
lubricant amidst the die surface and deforming metal.

On applying high pressures, the ductility of material increases.

Even flow of material.

Large billets & large cross-sections are extruded.

Uniform hydrostatic pressure inside the container eliminates the
requirement of billets being straightened.

No billet residue is left on the walls of container

Disadvantages of Hydrostatic Extrusion

The billets have to be prepared by tapering one end so that it matches

the die entry angle. This is essential for forming a seal at the starting
of the cycle. Generally, the complete billet is required to be machined
for the removal of surface defects.

It can be difficult to contain the fluid, under the effects of high
pressures (up to 2 GPa, or 290 ksi).

Limitations of Hydrostatic Extrusion

Increased handling for the injection and removal of the fluid for
every extrusion cycle.

Decreased process efficiency in terms of billet-to-container volume
ratio

Enhanced complications, when extrusion is done at elevated
temperatures.

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Impact extrusion:
Process used to produce short lengths of hollow pipes like collapsible
tooth paste tubes. It is performed at higher speeds and shorter strokes
than conventional extrusion. It is used to make individual components.
It may be either indirect or direct extrusion. Though the process is done in
cold condition, large amount of heat is generated due to the high speed
deformation.

Extrusion ratio is the ratio of initial cross sectional area of the billet
to the final cross sectional area after extrusion.
R = Ao/Af. Extrusion ratios reach from about 40:1 for hot extrusion
of steel and may be as high as 400:1 for aluminum. The distinction
between extrusion ratio (R) and Fractional reduction in area( r).

The change in fractional reduction from 0.95 to 0.98 appears relatively

small, yet it corresponds to a change in area ration from R = 20:1 to R =
50:1.
The velocity of the extrude product is the ram velocity x R so that high
sliding velocities can be achieved along the die land. The extrusion
pressure is directly related to the natural logarithm of the extrusion ratio,
so that extrusion force may be expressed as:

k is extrusion constant, an overall factor which accounts for the

flow stress, friction, and inhomogeneous deformation

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• Most metals are extruded hot so as to take advantage of the

decrease in flow stress with increase in temperature.
• Steel billets are heated in the range 1100 to 1200 °C, while the
tooling is preheated to 350 °C.
• The combination of high stress and temperature necessitates
use of glass lubrication.
• Aluminium is extruded without any lubrication.
• Increase in ram speed results in increase in extrusion pressure.
• A tenfold increase in speed results in about 50 % increase in
pressure.
• At lower speeds, billet cooing will be dominating resulting in
increase in extrusion pressure.